Gameranx has interviewed Obsidian’s Brian Heins about choices and consequnces in Tyranny:

Making Hard Choices

Ian talks to Obsidian’s Brian Heins about Tyranny, making difficult choices, how the game differs from Pillars of Eternity, and who the enigmatic Overlord Kyros is.

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“Player Choice” seems to be a driving factor in the backstory and main storyline. Experience can be gained equally through battle or dialogue for conflict resolution. To what extent can player go through the campaign without combat? Is there a possibility of a “Pacifist Run”?

You’re absolutely right that choice and reactivity are the driving factors of Tyranny. We want each of the player’s choices to matter and shape either their character, the world around them, or both!

Players can use their skills in combat to intimidate, trick, or bluff enemies they face. Sometimes this results in a single enemy running away from an encounter, sometimes it results in the entire group laying down their arms. That said, there are some fights you won’t be able to avoid – depending on previous choices you’ve made.

It’s not possible to complete the entire game as a pacifist, but I think players will really enjoy seeing the changes that come from the choices they make.

One aspect of combat is team relationships or party dynamics. Members of your party can either love or hate you, and the differences can affect combat abilities. Would you mind going into greater detail on how this mechanic works?

We’ll be talking about this in more detail in future updates. For now I’ll say that Tyranny uses a robust faction system that allows you to develop reputations with major groups in the game, your companions, and the Archons of Kyros’ Empire. As you build favor or wrath with these factions, you unlock abilities that shape your player character.

With your Companions, you’ll unlock additional Companion Combo abilities. These are abilities that allow your character and a Companion to work together to deal devastating damage or change the tide of a combat. We’ll go into more specifics about these abilities as we reveal more information about the specific Companions.

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